Manufacturers of beverage brewing devices, such as coffee makers, offer a variety of device models having a number of different structural designs and features. Although particular design features vary from model to model, most beverage brewing devices have a number of common structural elements. For example, coffee makers generally include a housing, a coffee server, and a brew cup for holding coffee grinds. Furthermore, the housing typically has an internal water containment region and a space for receiving the coffee server within the housing. For most typical applications, such an arrangement is sufficient and there is no need for the provision of additional features for securing the coffee server to the housing. However, there are circumstances in which such additional securing measures are necessary. Generally, auxiliary support may be required where the beverage brewer is used under conditions which are likely to subject the device to vibrational and/or accelerative motion capable of jarring the server loose from the device housing.
For example, coffee makers on an aircraft require such additional securing measures. In particular, the various components of the brewing device which are separable from the housing, namely, the server and brew cup, must be adequately secured to prevent their intrusion into the aircraft cabin during takeoff, landing and under turbulent conditions. Known approaches for preventing such occurrences incorporate the storage of the brewing apparatus within a compartment having a lever arm which must be manually moved between a locked and a release position. The lever arm is typically opened and closed each time the beverage server is placed in, or removed from, the storage compartment, particularly when the aircraft is in flight. This approach is inefficient and may present a danger when, for example, the lever arm is in its unlocked position. In such an instance, there is a risk that the beverage server will be ejected from the storage compartment into the cabin. Furthermore, the lever arm of such conventional systems may itself present a danger, as it extends into the cabin area when unlocked and flight crew and passengers are forced to maneuver around it in a compact galley area. Under turbulent conditions, the lever arm presents a potential hazard.
Beverage brewing devices designed for use on aircraft have additional inherent problems. One such problem relates to internal electronic components which form part of the circuitry used to operate the brewing device. In particular, metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), which are typically used to control the flow of current to and from water heating elements of the brewing apparatus, can suffer a reduced life if their temperature is not adequately controlled by use of a heat sinking apparatus. Another inherent problem relates to maintenance of the brewing apparatus. Coffee brewing devices manufactured for use on aircraft are prone to malfunctioning from time to time. Presently, diagnostic testing requires the removal of the coffee maker from the aircraft so that it can be transported to a diagnostic testing facility. Often, when such diagnostic testing is performed, the failure will not occur with the result that the problem with the unit cannot be diagnosed.
For the foregoing reasons, it would be desirable to have a beverage brewing apparatus in which the beverage server and brew cup remain adequately secured to the housing, preventing their disengagement from the housing under vibrational and accelerative forces. The securing mechanism should be incorporated into the brewing apparatus itself, precluding the need for external securing means. It would also be advantageous if the apparatus had an interface for performing on-board diagnostic self-testing, to record unit performance and assist in repair processes. Similarly, it would be desirable for the beverage apparatus to have an integral data link system which could be used to transfer diagnostic data from the device to an analytical device, such as a computer.